Florida governor gives support for Jax-Miami rail line

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist
said that he plans meetings today with political and financial institutions in
South Florida that are interested in bringing to life the long-gone
Jacksonville-to-Miami passenger route along Florida East Coast Rail Road
tracks, the St. Augustine Record reports.

"In the spirit of
Henry Flagler, we need to re-ignite the effectiveness of FEC," Crist said.

Passenger service along the
state's east coast ended in 1968 after a rail strike.

The state recently applied
for $200 million in federal stimulus funds to restart that service, but that
request was denied last week. However, Florida did receive some of the federal
government's $8 billion in high-speed rail funds for the Tampa-to-Orlando
bullet train, and Seventh District Congressman John Mica, R-Winter Park, said
he believed the coastal line appropriation would be approved next year.